Stranded Together
by PrincessConsuelaBnhmk
Summary: In between the last episode of season 2 and the Christmas special Robert and Cora get stranded together in the cold. They are forced to discuss everything that has happened to them during the war.


"Cora it's freezing, do we really need to go tonight?" Robert turned away from the window and looked at his wife sitting at her vanity as her maid fixed her hair.

"Yes Robert, we do. The hospital is throwing a party to thank the nurses before they leave and we need to be there. Some of these girls were in our house every day for years. It's the least we can do."

"Yes I understand that but, look at it snowing. I don't want to get stuck in the village." She finally turned to look at him and he deflated when he saw her face. She was determined and after everything he had put her through lately he couldn't say no. "Fine, but we're not staying for long and if we get stuck there for the night and have to stay in the dowager house with my mother I'm blaming you."

She replied laughing "Robert, I would sleep on the street before I would stay in a house as small as that with your mother." He smiled when she laughed. It reminded him of when they had been happy. Before the war, before her illness, before Jane. He honestly wasn't even sure if she was still in love with him. "Anyway I'm sure there is nothing to worry about and we need to get going." She rose slowly from her chair and dismissed O'Brien. "Did Branson bring the car around yet?"

Robert clenched his jaw "Not Branson darling. Don't you remember? He's not the chauffer anymore he's going to be our son-in-law."

"Oh I forgot. It's just been him for so long it feels strange to be driven by someone else." She noticed he was still tense at the mention of the former servant. "Relax Robert, he won't be there but Sybil will, so be civil."

"I'm fine, I just don't like to think about it." He took a deep breath and tried to relax "Will Sybil be driving up with us?"

"No, she's already there. She wanted to spend the day with the other nurses. It's just us."

She picked up her coat and walked out of the room without waiting for him. He sighed and followed after her. She might be in a good mood but their relationship was still a mess. It was rare for them to have a conversation that lasted more than a minute or two. He didn't know how they would manage the entire car ride by themselves.

* * *

Once inside the car they made small talk for a few minutes and then fell into an uncomfortable silence. Robert shifted awkwardly in his seat and turned to look at her. He couldn't stand the distance both physically and emotionally that the past several years had put between them. He couldn't take it any longer and he leaned toward her and began to speak " Cora, I-" He stopped abruptly as she unconsciously leaned farther away from him. He sighed finally coming to the conclusion that things could never be the same between them. He leaned back against the door in defeat.

"Did you have something to say?" Cora asked confused. She hadn't realized the reaction her body had to his closeness.

"Nothing darling. I forgot what I was going to say."

"Oh, okay. Well if you remember tell me." She smiled awkwardly trying to lighten the mood. He smile faltered as his face remained impassive.

They continued on in complete silence both praying that they would reach there destination quickly. Then they heard a loud pop that seemed to come from the front of the car. "What was that?" Robert asked the chauffer as the man stepped out of the car.

"That was the engine sir. I'm going to have to walk into town to get a new car. You'll have to stay here."

"You're going to walk into town? That must be at least five miles still and it's freezing out."

"I know sir but it's even farther back to Downton and it's only going to get colder the longer we wait. If I don't go now we could be stuck here all night."

Robert nodded his head "Okay, we'll wait here I guess." The chauffer walked away and Robert shut the door. He tried to calculate in his mind how long it would take the man to walk all the way to town, find a car, and drive back to get them. He looked at Cora sitting as far away from him as possible trying to avoid his gaze. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

They sat for what felt like hours without speaking. The temperature in the car dropped and Robert wrapped his coat more tightly around him and looked at Cora. The coat she was wearing was too light for the weather and he could see her begin to shiver.

"Cora, this is ridiculous. The closer together we are the warmer we'll be. Come over here." She looked rather surprised at his sudden outburst but slowly moved toward his outstretched arms. He pulled her tightly against him and adjusted his jacket to fit around them both.

They remained stiff for a while, uncomfortable with the closeness when suddenly Robert felt Cora sag against him. "Robert what's wrong with us?"

"What do you mean?"

"The war is over, we survived with our family intact, and our house is no longer a hospital. We should be happy right now, but we're not."

She felt him sigh against her hair. "I don't know darling. I've been wondering the same thing. I think the war has changed us. I wish we could go back."

"I don't" Robert looked down at her surprised. "I'm different than I was before and for the most part I think that it's a good thing. I just want to find a way to be happy with the way things are now."

Robert looked away from her and gently rubbed her arm. He thought carefully before he spoke and tried to hide his emotion. "Cora I know that I'm the reason you're unhappy and I want to apologize for that. I also want you to know that if you want to leave I won't try to stop you. I won't force you to stay in a loveless marriage with a man you can't trust."

He couldn't look at her. Couldn't bring himself to see the relief in her eyes knowing that she wouldn't have to fight him for a divorce.

He was very surprised then when he felt her hand cup his cheek and her gentle whisper. "Oh Robert, you silly man."

He finally looked at her and was shocked to see her smiling. "Do you mean you don't want to leave?"

"Of course not! I love you Robert and no matter what happens I am never, ever leaving you."

He still didn't look reassured and when he spoke again his voice was low and trembling. "Cora even if you can forgive the way I acted toward you and how disrespectfully I spoke to you there are things I did that you don't know about and I can't let you make this decision without being aware of how awful I truly was."

"You mean the maid?" she replied nonchalantly. He looked at her stunned.

"How did you know?"

"I saw the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you and then right after I got better she was gone and you were sad for a long time. I figured it out."

They were silent for a moment until he tentatively asked "If you already knew about it why are you forgiving me?"

She sighed and replied "Mostly just because I love you and I really couldn't blame you. The war was tearing us apart and we barely spoke to each other much less did anything else. I wasn't surprised that you began loving another woman. I wasn't happy about it but I wasn't surprised."

"Cora, Jane and I were never…physically intimate. I'm not going to lie it nearly happened but when it came down to it I couldn't do it."

"You may never have made love to her but you loved her." He noted that she didn't ask it as a question. She already knew.

He was silent for a moment and then he whispered softly in her ear "not even close to as much as I love you."

They became silent again but this time it was not uncomfortable. They were both trying to sort their thoughts and figure out what to say next. Cora recovered first. "So what do we now? We both know there's a problem but we still don't know how to fix it."

Robert thought for a moment before answering her. "I don't think there is anything we can do that will make us go back to normal right away. I think we have to keep doing this. Just talking things through until we can get past how much we hurt each other."

She turned in his arms until she was facing him. She looked in to his eyes and gently leaned in to kiss him. "I love you Robert and I think we can get through this. We've been together for far to long to let this bring us down." He smiled at her and kissed her again before gently pulling her closer against him.

Later, when the chauffer finally got back with the new car he found the earl and countess of Grantham asleep and cuddled together under the earls jacket in the back of the car.

* * *

_AN: This was so not what I intended when I started writing this. I swear the angst just pours out of me when I start writing. I can't control it. Anyways the more I write the more I'm thinking I'm a fan of one shots. That might be what I write from now on. I do promise however that I will finish Second Choice. I hate it when people leave fics unfinished so I won't do that. I have about half the next chapter written and I should be done soon. I love all of you beautiful people so please review because reviews make the Princess feel good._


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